An Open Letter to Pastors Everywhere
Dear Church Leaders,
After reading this you might be saying to yourself “well, not in my church.” I’m here to tell you yes, IN your church. I or someone like me have been to your church or even now may be a member of your church, and you might not even know it.
This is what Jesus was talking about in John 13:34. It would be my prayer to hear something like this come from pulpits in churches everywhere.
“There are people here, maybe sitting near you who are afraid of you.
Afraid to be your friend, afraid to join your home group. They may have been afraid to even join our church.
They’ve been rejected by other churches, they’ve been rejected by other Christians, and they’re afraid you may be no different.
They hide their life from you in fear because they may be gay, they may be transgender, or they just may be different, and they’re hurting. They’re hurting because they love Jesus, they love people like you, and they’re afraid to share their life with you. They’re afraid if they get to know you and tell you about their life it may bring more rejection, more pain.
We need to do better as a church.
As a body of believers people should feel loved here, they shouldn’t walk in fear here.
Everyone who walks through our doors should see Jesus in us above anything else.
In our home groups everyone should feel safe to share their life with one another without fear of rejection or judgment.
Anything less and we’re missing the mark.
Anything less and we’re not honoring the Lord and Savior we claim to follow.”
– Blessings
Please click here to “LIKE” my Facebook page, help me reach the Church and Christians who are transgender.
Sign up now and get my new posts sent to your inbox and to stay informed of my upcoming book.
No spam and your email address will not be sold or given to anyone – ever!
I want to receive people regardless of whatever their challenges are, and I want them to receive me in spite of my challenges. I want to encourage them in their walk with Christ whether they are taking initial steps or are years down the road, and I want to be encouraged by them. The one thing neither of us must do is affirm each other in our unrepentant sin. We must not find ourselves in the place of winking at clearly identified areas of sin while we continue in them. It is not enough to accept and be accepted. Grace… Read more »
I think you may misunderstand grace. Grace has nothing to do with “tolerance”. Grace is God’s undeserved, unmerited favor. It’s God treating us better than we deserve. It’s God loving us not because of who we are but because of who God is.